tk - Turks and Caicos Islands :: The World Factbook

The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate Crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory. Grand Turk island suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Maria on 22 September 2017 resulting in loss of power and communications as well as damage to housing and businesses.

Geography

Location:

two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti

Geographic coordinates:

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

Area - comparative:

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

Coastline:

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry

Terrain:

low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps

Elevation:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Blue Hill on Providenciales and Flamingo Hill on East Caicos 48 m

Natural resources:

spiny lobster, conch

Land use:

agricultural land: 1.1% (2011 est.)

arable land: 1.1% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 0% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 0% (2011 est.)

forest: 36.2% (2011 est.)

other: 62.7% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land:

Population distribution:

eight of the thirty islands are inhabited; the island of Providenciales is the most populated, but the most densely populated is Grand Turk

Natural hazards:

Environment - current issues:

limited natural freshwater resources, private cisterns collect rainwater

Geography - note:

include eight large islands and numerous smaller cays, islets, and reefs; only two of the Caicos Islands and six of the Turks group are inhabited

People and Society

Population:

55,926 (July 2020 est.)

Nationality:

Ethnic groups:

Black 87.6%, White 7.9%, mixed 2.5%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.7% (2006 est.)

Languages:

Religions:

Protestant 72.8% (Baptist 35.8%, Church of God 11.7%, Anglican 10%, Methodist 9.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%), Roman Catholic 11.4%, Jehovah's Witness 1.8%, other 14% (2006 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 21.33% (male 6,077/female 5,852)

15-24 years: 13.19% (male 3,689/female 3,687)

25-54 years: 52.51% (male 14,729/female 14,637)

55-64 years: 7.81% (male 2,297/female 2,069)

65 years and over: 5.17% (male 1,364/female 1,525) (2020 est.)

Median age:

female: 34.4 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate:

Birth rate:

14.1 births/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Death rate:

3.4 deaths/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Net migration rate:

8.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Population distribution:

eight of the thirty islands are inhabited; the island of Providenciales is the most populated, but the most densely populated is Grand Turk

Urbanization:

urban population: 93.6% of total population (2020)

rate of urbanization: 1.77% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Major urban areas - population:

5,000 GRAND TURK (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 9.3 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 11.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (2020 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.3 years

female: 83.3 years (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.7 children born/woman (2020 est.)

Drinking water source:

improved: total: 94.3% of population

unimproved: total: 5.7% of population (2017 est.)

Sanitation facility access:

improved: total: 88% of population

unimproved: total: 12% of population (2017)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

Education expenditures:

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

People - note:

destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Bahamas and the US

Government

Country name:

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands

etymology: the Turks Islands are named after the Turk's cap cactus (native to the islands and appearing on the flag and coat of arms), while the Caicos Islands derive from the native term "caya hico" meaning "string of islands"

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)

geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: named after Sir Francis Cockburn, who served as governor of the Bahamas from 1837 to 1844

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, usually celebrated the Monday after the second Saturday in June

Constitution:

history: several previous; latest signed 7 August 2012, effective 15 October 2012 (The Turks and Caicos Constitution Order 2011)

Legal system:

mixed legal system of English common law and civil law

Citizenship:

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Nigel DAKIN (since 15 July 2019)

head of government: Premier Sharlene CARTWRIGHT-ROBINSON (since 20 December 2016); first female Premier of Turks and Caicos

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor from among members of the House of Assembly

elections/appointments: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor

Legislative branch:

description: unicameral House of Assembly (19 seats; 15 members in multi-seat constituencies and a single all-islands constituency directly elected by simple majority vote, 1 member nominated by the premier and appointed by the governor, 1 nominated by the opposition party leader and appointed by the governor, and 2 from the Turks and Caicos Islands Civic Society directly appointed by the governor; members serve 4-year terms)

elections: last held on 15 December 2016 (next to be held in 2020)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - PDM 10, PNP 5; composition - men 15, women 6, percent of women 28.6%

Judicial branch:

highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and other judges, as determined by the governor); Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 2 justices); note - appeals beyond the Supreme Court are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Appeals Court judges appointed by the governor in accordance with the Judicial Service Commission, a 3-member body of high-level judicial officials; Supreme Court judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65, but terms can be extended to age 70; Appeals Court judge tenure determined by individual terms of appointment

subordinate courts: magistrates' courts

Political parties and leaders:

People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Sharlene CARTWRIGHT-ROBINSON] ++ Progressive National Party or PNP [Washington MISICK]

International organization participation:

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and displays a conch shell, a spiny lobster, and Turk's cap cactus - three common elements of the islands' biota

National symbol(s):

conch shell, Turk's cap cactus

National anthem:

name: This Land of Ours

lyrics/music: Conrad HOWELL

note: serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the UK, "God Save the Queen" is the official anthem (see United Kingdom)

Economy

Economic overview:

The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, offshore financial services, and fishing. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than three-quarters of the more than 1 million visitors that arrive annually. Three-quarters of the visitors come by ship. Major sources of government revenue also include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts.

GDP real growth rate:

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

GDP (purchasing power parity) - real:

$632 million (2007 est.)

$568.3 million (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.02 billion (2018 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

GDP - composition, by sector of origin:

agriculture: 0.5% (2017 est.)

industry: 8.9% (2017 est.)

services: 90.6% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use:

household consumption: 49% (2017 est.)

government consumption: 21.5% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital: 16.5% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories: -0.1% (2017 est.)

exports of goods and services: 69.5% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services: -56.4% (2017 est.)

Ease of Doing Business Index scores:

Agriculture - products:

corn, beans, cassava (manioc, tapioca), citrus fruits; fish

Industries:

tourism, offshore financial services

Industrial production growth rate:

Labor force:

Labor force - by occupation:

note: about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services

Unemployment rate:

Population below poverty line:

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

Budget:

revenues: 247.3 million (2017 est.)

expenditures: 224.3 million (2017 est.)

Fiscal year:

Exports:

$24.77 million (2008 est.)

Exports - commodities:

lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells

Imports:

$591.3 million (2008 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials

Debt - external:

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Energy

Electricity access:

electrification - total population: 100% (2020)

Electricity - production:

235 million kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

218.6 million kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity - exports:

Electricity - imports:

Electricity - installed generating capacity:

82,000 kW (2016 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels:

100% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels:

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources:

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Crude oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - imports:

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production:

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption:

1,420 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports:

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports:

1,369 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas - production:

Natural gas - consumption:

Natural gas - exports:

Natural gas - imports:

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:

221,800 Mt (2017 est.)

Communications

Telephones - fixed lines:

total subscriptions: 6,096

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11.12 (2019 est.)

Telecommunication systems:

general assessment: fully digital system with international direct dialing; broadband access; expanded FttP (Fiber to the Home) markets; LTE expansion points to investment and focus on data; regulatory development; telecommunication contributes to greatly to GDP (2020)

domestic: full range of services available; GSM wireless service available; fixed-line teledensity 11 per 100 persons (2019)

international: country code - 1-649; landing point for the ARCOS fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable providing connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2020)

note: the COVID-19 outbreak is negatively impacting telecommunications production and supply chains globally; consumer spending on telecom devices and services has also slowed due to the pandemic's effect on economies worldwide; overall progress towards improvements in all facets of the telecom industry - mobile, fixed-line, broadband, submarine cable and satellite - has moderated

Broadcast media:

no local terrestrial TV stations, broadcasts from the Bahamas can be received and multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; government-run radio network operates alongside private broadcasters with a total of about 15 stations

Turks and Caicos Islands :: Central America and Caribbean

Introduction

Background:

Geography

Location:

Geographic coordinates:

Map references:

Area:

Area - comparative:

Land boundaries:

Coastline:

Maritime claims:

Climate:

Terrain:

Elevation:

Natural resources:

Land use:

Irrigated land:

Population distribution:

Natural hazards:

Environment - current issues:

Geography - note:

People and Society

Population:

Nationality:

Ethnic groups:

Languages:

Religions:

Age structure:

Median age:

Population growth rate:

Birth rate:

Death rate:

Net migration rate:

Population distribution:

Urbanization:

Major urban areas - population:

Sex ratio:

Infant mortality rate:

Life expectancy at birth:

Total fertility rate:

Drinking water source:

Sanitation facility access:

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

Education expenditures:

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

People - note:

Government

Country name:

Dependency status:

Government type:

Capital:

Administrative divisions:

Independence:

National holiday:

Constitution:

Legal system:

Citizenship:

Suffrage:

Executive branch:

Legislative branch:

Judicial branch:

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation in the US:

Diplomatic representation from the US:

Flag description:

National symbol(s):

National anthem:

Economy

Economic overview:

GDP real growth rate:

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

GDP (purchasing power parity) - real:

GDP (official exchange rate):

GDP - per capita (PPP):

GDP - composition, by sector of origin:

GDP - composition, by end use: